LARGE GROUP PRESENTATION: PRESENTER S NOTES

Transcription

1 LARGE GROUP PRESENTATION: PRESENTER S NOTES Introduce yourself. Welcome! We are so glad you are here to learn about fruits and vegetables. Icebreaker Handout: Fruit or Vegetable: Parts of Many Words Read directions on the handout aloud to the group. Give them 5 minutes to complete individually and then discuss answers as a group. Today s Topics What are fruits and vegetables? Benefits of Eating Fruits and Vegetables Cooking and Food Safety Tips 5 to 9 A Day What is a serving? Gardening: Traditional Fruits and Vegetables Some foods we think of as vegetables are actually fruits by definition. Some of those vegetables are cucumbers, olives, peppers, and tomatoes. 1

2 Handout: Benefits of Fruits and Vegetables Tell the participants that you will cover the information on the handout in more detail. There are many benefits to eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Now we will look at each of these areas more specifically. Fat s jobs are to protect our organs and bones, to keep us warm in the winter, and to provide our bodies with energy. We need some fat in our diet every day, but too much can cause health problems such as obesity and heart disease. Too much cholesterol in the blood can block blood from traveling through the arteries. Since fruits and vegetables come from plants, they have no cholesterol in them. Additional Cholesterol Information Saturated fat is a type of fat found in foods such as meat, whole milk, cheese, and ice cream. Cholesterol is made in the liver, therefore is found only in animal foods such as meat, milk, chicken, and eggs. 2

3 High in Vitamins Vitamin A Needed to keep eyes and skin healthy. Found in fruits and vegetables as betacarotene, which is used to produce vitamin A. Choose at least one high vitamin A fruit or vegetable each day, like carrots, squash, or pumpkin. Good sources include: carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, mango, cantaloupe, broccoli, romaine lettuce, watermelon, tomato juice, apricots, prunes, and peaches. High in Vitamins Vitamin C Needed for growth and to heal cuts and wounds. Choose at least one high vitamin C fruit or vegetable each day like oranges, grapefruit, and their juices. Good sources include: orange juice, strawberries, oranges, watermelon, spinach, pineapple, blueberries, potatoes, cantaloupe, tomato juice, cauliflower, broccoli, blackberries, kiwifruit, and bell peppers. High in Vitamins Folic Acid/Folate Needed to prevent birth defects, heart attacks, strokes, and some cancers. All people need folic acid/folate. Women of child-bearing age should take in 400 micrograms of folic acid each day. Choose at least one high folate/folic acid fruit or vegetable each day like, broccoli, oranges, and leafy greens. Good sources include: spinach, asparagus, Romaine lettuce, artichokes, broccoli, strawberries, yellow squash, beets, tomato juice, blackberries, orange juice, oranges, cantaloupe, cauliflower, and sweet potatoes. Folate is the naturally occurring form of folic acid in foods. 3

4 Eating a diet high in fiber can reduce your risk of getting certain types of cancers and helps reduce blood cholesterol levels. Whole or cut-cup fruits are good sources of fiber. Fruit juices contain little or no fiber. Additional Fiber Information There are two types of fiber found in foods. Soluble fibers help decrease total blood cholesterol and control blood sugars. Insoluble fibers help prevent constipation. High in Minerals Potassium Needed for our muscles to move and to maintain healthy blood pressure Good Sources: Bananas, Tomato Juice, Orange Juice, Potatoes, Acorn Squash Calcium Needed to make healthy bones Good Sources: Dark, Leafy Vegetables like broccoli and kale Potassium and calcium are found in high amounts in milk and milk products, so we encourage everyone eat three cups of milk/milk products each day. Including fruits and vegetables that are good sources of these minerals just makes your bones and muscles healthier. Iron and magnesium contents are higher in other foods like red meats (which should be eaten in small portions daily.) Including fruits and vegetables high in these minerals just improves health. 4

5 Low in Sodium Sodium is a mineral important for our bodies. Most familiar sodium food is table salt. All people should choose and prepare foods with little salt. Foods high in sodium include potato chips, processed foods (such as rice and hamburger mixes), canned soups, and luncheon meats. Thousands of phytochemicals have been found in plant foods. Many of the bright colors of fruits and vegetables come from phytochemicals. Other Benefits Taste Great Fresh fruits and vegetables on a hot summer day Original Fast Food Come in their own convenient packaging Easy to Prepare Can be prepared fast and easy Adds Color and Variety to Meals Rainbow of Colors: blue/purple, green, white, yellow/orange, and red Eat a fruit or vegetable from each color group daily. This will help you get the most health benefits from the variety of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals in each color group. 5

6 Buying and Preparation Tips Choose 100% fruit juice fortified with vitamin C. Choose fruits canned in their own juice or in water. Juices labeled fruit or juice drink, juice beverage or juice cocktail may be mostly sugar water and can contain only 5 to 10% fruit juice. (For example: Koolaid, Sunny Delight, HiC, and Tang) You can also rinse fruit canned in syrup with water to lower the amount of sugar in the fruit. Handouts: How Nutritious is Your Beverage? and Choosing Healthy Canned Fruit Briefly review both handouts with the group. Additional Information If available, pass around labels from a variety of juices, juice drinks and canned fruit and compare sugar and calorie content. Check your community grocery store to see what the prices are for the different types of canned fruit. Have a taste testing of different canned fruit, 100% fruit juices, and juice drinks. Use butter, salad dressing, cheese, and sour cream less often. Canned vegetables contain added sodium. To lower the amount of sodium in canned vegetables, rinse with water before cooking. Most frozen and canned fruits and vegetables can be bought on sale. Store bananas, winter squash, yellow onions, potatoes, tomatoes, and pumpkins at room temperature. 6

7 Handout: Cooking and Food Safety Tips for Fruits and Vegetables Briefly review the handout with the group. Additional Food Safety Information Many melons sold during off seasons are imported from other countries. Most other countries do not have strong sanitation practices as we do. So it is important to wash melons with soap and water before cutting into the rinds. 5 to 9 A Day Why 5 to 9? Research shows eating five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day, helps to prevent cancers, obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and even diabetes. Eating five to nine fruit and vegetable servings a day is one of the most important things you can do to promote good health. The 5 A Day for Better Health Program is a nationwide nutrition campaign to encourage everyone to eat five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables each day for overall better health. Additional 5 A Day for Better Health Information Many organizations are promoting the 5 to 9 A Day message. Some of those organizations include the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Indian Health Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Produce for Better Health Foundation, WIC Programs, local health departments and extension offices. We are not reaching the 5 to 9 A Day goal! Over 75% of all Americans are not eating the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables everyday. On an average, only 44% of students enrolled in six Tribal colleges reported eating only 1 to 3 servings of fruits and vegetables in ONE WEEK. Additional Information The Tribal College statistic was from data collected at six Northern Plains Tribal Colleges on a health and nutrition survey done by United Tribes Technical College and the NDSU Extension Service in

8 Handout: 5 to 9 Every Day? Tell the participants that you will cover the information on the handout in more detail. One serving of fruits and vegetables should fit within the palm of your hand. What is a fruit serving? ¾ cup fruit juice (6 ounces) ¼ cup dried fruit ½ cup canned fruit or applesauce 1 medium piece of fruit ½ cup fresh fruit A medium piece of fruit is about the size of a tennis ball. A large banana is usually two fruit servings. What is a vegetable serving? ¾ cup vegetable juice (6 ounces) 1 cup salad greens ½ cup raw vegetables 1 medium potato ½ cup cooked vegetables Group Activities: Choose one activity. If time allows, you may do all three. Measure actual serving sizes of different fruits and vegetables for the participants to look at. Have the participants measure what they think a serving of various fruits and vegetables would be. Then show them the actual serving. Show food models, if available. (Food models may be available to borrow from your local Diabetes Program, IHS clinic, County Extension Office, WIC Office, etc.) 8

9 Handouts: On the Way to 5 to 9 A Day and Are These Meals on Their Way to 5 to 9 A Day? Give both handouts to participants and have them use the chart to complete the meal worksheet. Give them 5-10 minutes to complete individually, then discuss as a group. Can People on a Budget Eat 5 A Day? Most people think fruits and vegetables are expensive, especially for snacks. Handout: Have a fruit or vegetable snack! Briefly review the handout with the group. A show of hands, how many of you remember having gardening as a part of your family? Gardening provided much more than food for the people. It connected the people with the earth in many ways. 9

10 Handout: Gardening: Traditional Fruits and Vegetables and Discussion Questions Briefly review the handout with the group. Give the participants 5-10 minutes to complete individually, then discuss answers as a group. Additional Information on Gardening and Diabetes Prevention Gardening is not just a way to produce healthy fruits and vegetables. Planting and taking care of a garden involves a lot of physical activity. We know by eating healthy and exercising, we can prevent or delay Type 2 diabetes. So, by planting a garden and eating what it produces, you are doing two things to prevent diabetes. Other benefits of gardening include: keeps us connected to the earth, offers time to work together with your family, provides a feeling of a job well done after the harvest, and it s fun. Optional Activity: Show the video Gifts from the Earth. This is a three minute video about fruits and vegetables. It can be purchased through the UTTC Land Grant Extension Program as part of a nutrition education DVD called Sharing Foods with Families and Friends for $15. See the order form in Section 3 for more information. Handout: Evaluation Thank the participants for coming. Give out the evaluation and have the participants complete it before they leave. 10